Authentic Love For God

And Jesus answered him, The first of all 

the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, 

The Lord our God is one Lord: and then 

shalt love the Lord thy God with all 

thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 

all thy mind, and with all thy strength: 

this is the first commandment. 

and the second is like, namely this, 

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

There is none other commandment

 greater than these.

Mark 12:29-31 

     Christians, both nominal, cultural, liberal or Authentic are most aware and could quote those verses. Cultural, nominal, or liberal Christians speak of their love for God. To know if their love is based on Authentic Christianity, all that must be done is to look at the characteristics that form their, as they say, love for God. It will be obvious what their claim to love God looks like, how it is performed, exercised. History of the Church testifies that a change in the way "love" is exercised, in fact, many Churches are nothing more than a performance to excite the crowd leading them to an euphoric and emotional experience. The evidence is blatant that those cultural, nominal, or liberal Christians seek a form of worship to God, not in delight for a God that can save them from their sins, no, in that they "feel good" about themselves, about their performance in an attempt to manifest a godly love. Whatever actions these cultural Christians perform are done more out of some slavish requirement and even done in a harsh manner. The performance is more important than simply following the greatest commandment: Love God! To simply love God is not to be performing some sort of antics, speaking in some "gibberish" rubbish, or going about praying for people without attempting to lead them to Jesus Christ. This type of worship began back in the last part of the First Great Awakening in the late 1700's where folk worship, folk religion was introduced into the Church. This new type of "worship" grew even more in the Second Great Awakening by such men as Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was an American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. Finney is know as a great revivalist a trained lawyer who introduced into the Church his views that are doctrinal heresy. Finney taught a doctrine known as "Moral Government Theology that teaches that Jesus Christ did not actually and literally suffer for the sin as the sinner's substitute but only as a good moral example in the government of God. This teaching that has infested the Church and taught by Pentecostalism, and other forms of this doctrine and dogma is contrary to the teaching of Scripture:“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” (Romans 3:25). “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). This teaching by Finney leads us to his view of justification, how a person who is a sinner can come to a right standing with God. Finney's view is that the finished work of Jesus Christ cannot be the grounds for a person to come to a right standing with God. Finney's definition of sanctification is "sinless perfection" and if a person does not obey the law perfectly, then that person is libel to have the wrath of God unless he repents. If the work of Jesus Christ did not literally pay for sins then man is left to himself/herself then left to be the ones who bring salvation to ourselves. This is a teaching that man must become perfect in this life or be damned into Gehenna. A person must then justify themselves, therefore the work of Jesus Christ on the cross actually has no affect and the sin of man was not put Jesus Christ who died to pay for sin. This teaching is heretical because it denies the finished work of the cross. This is at odds with the word of God: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:4-5).
     The Churches that teach "speaking in tongues," or fallen down by some power of the Holy Spirit, to receive a "second blessing," and falling over backwards," to be in a "trance like" state, occurred in ecstatic forms in a church one night where he was preaching: But that night, Finney again offered congregants a chance to publicly declare their faith. The church erupted—dozens stood up to give their pledge, while others fell down, groaned, and bellowed. Finney taught "New Measures" and the "anxious bench" that he popularized and by others who taught much the same in revivals across the nation at that time led many denominations to become cultural, to be a "Christian" in name only, nominal. 
     This then: what is appropriate behavior for a Christian? It is not some euphoric antics, or speaking some "gibberish" tongue, or to have a "Second Baptism" it is not "sinless perfection." It is simply denying oneself and make choices that are consistent with Scripture. Begin and this is the beginning, the middle and the end: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now by this love in you, you can now extend that love to others. There is no need to draw attention to oneself. There is no pretending that we love God, we only live daily as morally as we can, and if by some chance we fail, we know this fact: God will forgive if you repent of this sin and go and not do it again. Your salvation is not by your works: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10). 
     Quit trying to be a Christian! Be a Christian! Quit living for yourselves, to receive praise for yourself! You are a sinner saved by grace and this by the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is Authentic Christianity!

The LORD recompense thy work,
    and a full reward be given thee
of the LORD God of Israel, under
     whose wings thou art come
to trust.
                     Ruth 2:12

Your hallmark: Your love of God

Richard L. Crumb